Via Carota’s green salad is a verdant display of lettuces, frisée, and endive, piled high and dressed with a classic shallot–sherry vinaigrette. Iconic for a reason—and quite possibly the best green salad I’ve ever had—this beloved restaurant dish is surprisingly achievable at home.
Via Carota is exceptionally good at making vegetables shine, and their insalata verde is the perfect example. At the restaurant, each leaf is individually washed, dried, mounded high, and drizzled with a bright, peppery dressing.
Never in my life have I tasted a salad as well-seasoned as theirs. After purchasing their cookbook a few years ago, I’ve made the salad several times and am sharing my version with you!
👩🏽🍳 Recipe Tips
key details before we dive in:
- It can be tricky (and expensive) to source good butter lettuce, frisée, endive, watercress, and romaine. I offer several substitutes for the recipe that don’t detract from the ideal result!
- Let the dressing marinate for optimal flavor.
- Play around! The salad absolutely stands on its own, but every so often I like to add some shaved fennel and orange segments for a little extra flair.
I suggest serving this with my cheesy focaccia di recco and lemony roasted branzino with Calabrian chili crisp. Finish it off with a classic Italian tiramisu and you’ll be in heaven.
Ingredient Notes
For the Dressing:
- Sherry Vinegar: Sherry vinegar is rich and tangy, lasts a long time, and is a great option for marinades and dressings. Keep it in your pantry at all times!
- Thyme: Fresh thyme is a must here. If you can’t find it, omit the herbs from the dressing altogether.
For the Greens:
- Frisée: The original recipe calls for just a few pieces, so I use ½ a head to minimize waste. It is somewhat bitter, so if that’s not your thing, use a smaller amount or omit altogether!
- Watercress: Watercress, or peppercress, can be difficult to source outside of spring or summer. In the winter, arugula or baby spinach is a good option.
- Lettuces: Butter lettuce is delicate and mild, while baby romaine (or little Gem lettuce) brings texture. For a more complex, bitter profile, swap some of the romaine with radicchio.
- Endive: Look for yellow Belgian endive, which is milder. Can’t find it? Use a bit of frisée or radicchio.
For a full list of ingredients and their quantities, please refer to the recipe card.
Recipe FAQs
I highly, highly recommend using a salad spinner to wash the leaves and dry them with a kitchen towel as the recipe instructs. I know it’s an extra step, but it’s worth it to keep the greens crisp!
Wash them no sooner than an hour before making the salad, so they’re super fresh but have enough time to dry. Instead of tossing the leaves with the dressing, drizzling the dressing helps retain a crunchy texture.
The dressing can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Did you try this recipe?
I would love to hear your feedback! Be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment below.
Want to see more of my content? Add me as a trusted google source.
Via Carota’s Green Salad
Equipment
- Salad Spinner, optional, but recommended
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1 clove shallot, very finely chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, grated or very finely minced
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Diamond-Crystal Kosher Salt, or ¼ teaspoon salt if using any other type of salt
- 2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard, optional
- 1 teaspoon warm water
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Black pepper
Salad:
- 1 head butter lettuce, such as Bibb or Boston lettuce, about 3 – 4 ounces
- 1 head baby romaine, about 6 ounces, or a regular romaine heart or little Gem lettuce
- ½ small head frisée, about 2 ounces, see notes
- 3 spears Belgian endive
- A small handful of watercress, or peppercress or arugula, about ½ ounce
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Dressing:
- In a small jar with a lid, combine 1 clove shallot (very finely chopped), 1 small clove garlic (grated), ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon Diamond-Crystal Kosher Salt, 2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar, 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard (if using), 1 teaspoon warm water, and the stripped leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme. Seal and shake until well combined.Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to the jar, seal again, and shake vigorously for 30 seconds until emulsified. Repeat with the remaining 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Set aside and allow the dressing to marinate as you prepare the rest of the salad.Note: The dressing should taste very well-balanced and not too vinegary. With this salad, especially, we want to ensure the delicate flavors of the lettuces are not overpowered by the dressing. To test this, you can dip a piece of lettuce into the dressing to see how it tastes.
Make the Salad:
- Wash the lettuces: Remove any wilted, bruised, or floppy leaves from 1 head butter lettuce. Cut off the stem, then separate the leaves. Repeat the same process with 1 head baby romaine. Cut ½ small head frisée into bite-sized pieces. Transfer all of the greens to a large salad spinner. Rinse the leaves with very cold water, then spin until dry, dumping out the collected water a couple of times as needed. Lay out the greens in an even layer on a clean, lint-free kitchen towel. Place another kitchen towel on top, then roll everything up. Cut off the stems of 3 spears Belgian endive then separate into individual leaves. Quickly wash the endive and A small handful of watercress in cold water, then dab with a kitchen towel to dry.
- Assemble: Arrange a variety of the vegetables in a single layer in the bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, then drizzle with some of the dressing. Each leaf should have a bit of dressing, but it should not be drenched. Don’t worry about perfection; focus on lightly seasoning each layer.Repeat, arranging another layer of vegetables on top of the previous layer, at least 3 – 4 times, until you have a gorgeous, tall mound of salad. Finish with a bit more dressing to ensure the greens are evenly dressed. You may not need all of it; I typically use about half to two-thirds of the dressing.Serve immediately, and enjoy!Note: The dressing will naturally separate over time, so just give it a shake before topping the greens.
Notes
- Mustard: The original cookbook recipe does not call for mustard, but the NYTimes version does, and I believe that’s the version I had at the restaurant. If you have it, I suggest adding it in.
- Frisée: The recipe originally calls for just a few leaves of frisée, so to minimize waste I adjusted it up to a half head. This will cause the salad to lean a bit more bitter, so if you don’t love bitterness, just omit!
- Watercress: Arugula or baby spinach can be used as a substitute.
- Lettuces: For a more complex, bitter profile, swap some of the romaine with radicchio.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
